Setrak Keshishian, an Armenian cobbler who lived in three centuries and shined shoes until he was 102, died Aug. 9. He was 105.

Every day, rain or shine, Mr. Keshishian commuted by bus from his home in Santa Clara to the Cinderella Shoe Repair shop in Redwood City. He had landed the job when he was 80, having just arrived in the Bay Area from Lebanon. He convinced the shop owner to hire him by showing him he could work better than any fancy new machine.

"When he came in here to ask for a job, I said, 'You don't look like a young boy. How old are you?' " recalled Mitch Maksoudian, who owns the shoe repair shop. "He said, 'I've been a cobbler since I was 10 years old. If you try to keep up with me, I'll beat you.' "

Maksoudian, also an Armenian immigrant, watched as the sprightly Mr. Keshishian, who never visited a doctor or was ill until the week before he died, pulled out his own set of tools and started repairing a handbag. He was hired on the spot, but refused to take a salary, saying he didn't need the money and just wanted to work. He said he needed to keep himself busy or he would surely die a young man.

Born in 1897 in Hajen, Turkey, during the Ottoman Empire, Mr. Keshishian's life went from terror to relative tranquility, from the executions of his three sisters at the hands of the Turks, to the Bay Area, where one of his three daughters lives.

He survived the execution of nearly 2 million Armenians by the Turks by fleeing to Syria. Along the escape route, his parents and brother died of heat exhaustion.

At the end of World War I, he and his young Armenian wife, Miriam, moved to Iran, where they lived for a year. They spent the next 50 years living in Lebanon, which had a large Armenian population. After his wife died, Mr. Keshishian moved to Santa Clara to be near his youngest daughter, Arline Keshishian-Hancock, a 63-year-old nurse.

"His English was not too good, but he was able to communicate with everyone and everyone loved him," Keshishian-Hancock said. "He was a character and a loving person. He read the Bible start to finish 67 times."

Family and friends say his longevity stemmed from his love of life and his insistence on a routine of early to bed, early to rise. He arrived at work at least 30 minutes before the shop opened.

"He used to say, 'Yesterday is gone, so take it from today,' " his daughter recalled. "He believed in life today."

He also continued setting goals for himself. He told friends he couldn't possibly die until he became an American citizen, something he accomplished at the age of 101.

By then, he had become a legend around Redwood City. Children flocked to the shop to see him, leaving with pockets full of chocolate and chewing gum. He liked to stay active and on breaks would ask shopkeepers if they needed any errands done.

He had a firm handshake, a ready smile and a one-of-a-kind tattoo. The year 1898 was etched into his forearm, marking his family's visit to Jerusalem when he was a year old.

"He was our local celebrity," said Joe Calder, a friend who lives near the shoe shop and frequently had lunch with Mr. Keshishian. "I was amazed by his health, his knowledge of things turn of the century and his mannerisms, which were from a time that has generally come to pass. He had a compelling resolve to keep working and live a happy life."

Services were held for Mr. Keshishian on Tuesday, Aug. 13. He is survived by his children, Arline Keshishian-Hancock of Santa Clara, and two daughters who live in Beirut.